Cleveland considers safety shields for bus drivers

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cleveland's public transit agency and a union representing its workers are studying ways to better protect bus drivers after several recent assaults.

The local union president tells The Plain Dealer newspaper (http://bit.ly/T1lzy2 ) the union wants shields installed around drivers on buses.

A spokeswoman for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority says it would cost more than $1 million to get the 450 buses the type of plastic shields used in cities such as New York and Boston. RTA wants to test different types of shields.

The move comes after several confrontations in the past few months. RTA fired one driver who punched a female passenger during an altercation captured on video. Another passenger punched a driver, and a third threw hot coffee in a driver's face.